BERLIN – Germany’s domestic intelligence agency says Russia is trying to destabilize German society and the state with propaganda campaigns and cyberattacks.
The blunt warning from Germany’s BfV agency comes less than a year before the country is expected to hold a general election.
READ MORE: UK MI5 head warns of growing threat from Russian cyberattacks
Agency chief Hans-Georg Maassen said in a statement Thursday that “there is growing evidence for attempts to influence the federal election next year.”
His agency has seen an increase in “aggressive cyber-espionage” targeting German politicians.
READ MORE: Fake news stories online during US election linked to Russia
Russia has been blamed for the hacking and release of Democratic National Committee emails before the U.S. presidential election.
Maassen says “automated opinion forming” with so-called bots could be used to spread fake news on social media.
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